Making a difference
one bite at a time!

Chef Philippe Parola

Ecological Culinary Innovator

Book Author - Consultant - Speaker

Chef Philippe Parola is the founder of the Can't Beat'em, Eat'Em movement and author of the book of the same name. His work brings together culinary creativity, public education, and the development of markets for edible invasive species.

Based in Louisiana, he has focused on turning invasive species—including invasive carp, wild boar, and nutria—into culinary opportunities. His approach connects the kitchen with a larger mission: helping protect native ecosystems by encouraging responsible use of invasive resources.

A culinary pioneer: from alligator to nutria to Copi

Chef Philippe’s work with underutilized natural resources began in Louisiana in the early 1980s. His book, Can’t Beat’em, Eat’Em, tells the story of how that work grew into a lasting culinary and ecological mission.

Alligator — bringing an overlooked resource to America’s menus. When businessman Egon Klein asked him to develop recipes using alligator meat, Chef Philippe accepted the challenge. At a time when hides were commercially valuable but meat often went to waste, he created dishes and promoted alligator as a culinary delicacy. His work helped develop appreciation for the meat and demonstrated how cooking could create value from an underused resource. Alligators are native to Louisiana; this chapter of his career concerned resource use and managed wildlife populations.

Nutria — promoting food use to support wetland protection. Building on his alligator work, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enlisted Chef Philippe in the 1990s to promote nutria meat. With processing guidelines developed through cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, the effort connected culinary promotion with an urgent ecological problem: invasive nutria consuming vegetation and damaging coastal wetlands. Other Louisiana chefs joined him, introducing nutria in preparations such as sausages, stews, and gumbos under the message “Can’t Beat’em, Eat’Em!”

Invasive carp / Copi — pioneering a new food market. In 2009, while preparing for a Food Network filming opportunity on Louisiana’s Atchafalaya River, Chef Philippe encountered invasive carp and recognized their potential as food. He committed nearly a decade to overcoming barriers to commercial use, including their complex bone structure and public reluctance to eat carp. He developed fish-cake recipes and processing protocols, traveled to Vietnam to train processing teams, and brought an invasive carp product to the American market in 2019. Today, his Copi work continues that mission through product development, consulting, and efforts to establish U.S. processing opportunities that connect commercial harvest with food production, jobs, and ecosystem protection.

These milestones establish Chef Philippe as a pioneer in cooking and promoting underutilized natural resources. They are the foundation of his work today as an Ecological Culinary Innovator, book author, and consultant.

Chef Philippe works as a consultant to project owners, operators, and partners. He helps shape products, processing concepts, market positioning, and outreach so that ecological purpose and commercial practicality can work together.